


Feathers

by Onlymostydead



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marriage, Pining, Pre-Calamity, Sparring, Stress, Tension, but also really stressed, this is romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 16:13:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15666726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: Link, annoyed with Revali's attitude, puts one of his stray feathers in his hair to mock him. Little does he know, in Rito culture, one only wears another's feather when they're married.Somebody's gotta tell him.





	1. A Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this in my folder for... A year. Wow.

Mipha shot a side glance at Link. "Revali getting to you again?"

Link- who had been examining his sword quite closely- set it down at the sound of her voice. "What?"

"You seem..." She thought of the intensely focused look he had on his face. "Agitated."

Shrugging, he re-sheathed his blade. "It's just annoying, I guess."

"He really is."

Link didn't comment on that.

"It's the way that he- he always seems like-" Link's eyes fell on something across the camp, halting his hands in their position.

Quickly, he hopped over to the other side of their fire, back to where Revali had kept watch the previous night. Sure enough, in the dirt was a lone, dark blue feather that shone in the light. Link dusted it off, and stuck it haphazardly in his hair.

"He's always like, -Oh, I'm Revali, Champion of the Rito, best in the land!-" He signed over dramatically, giving the effect of Revali's sweeping wings. "-I'm the best you'll ever see. You better savor every moment I allow you to have in my, glorious presence.-"

Link gave a deep bow. Mipha snickered.

"-But it doesn't really concern me. Being so... Amazing, it comes naturally to me. Fate has truly been kind to me.-" Tossing his hair and smiling, Link kept up the act as he strutted around their camp.

Mipha tried to keep from laughing at how ridiculous he looked but it was impossible- the feather sticking crookedly from his hair, the large hand motions- it was all too funny... Until she felt the telltale gust of wind that meant that Revali himself had just gotten back.

Link didn't seem to notice. "-And, being the best at everything, I believe I should be the hero. You are unworthy compared to all of my glory, you know. I am the Champion of the Rito, after all, I-"

Revali cleared his throat.

Mipha wasn't sure who looked more shocked- Revali, or Link. Link's entire act dropped that very moment- save for the feather still stuck in his hair. Revali's feathers grew increasingly ruffled- fluffing up as if to make him look bigger... or to hide him. The only sound that came from either of them was a small, indignant choking sound from Revali.

Stepping quickly around the fire and across the small camp, Revali plucked the feather from Link's hair. "Where, did you get this?"

Though his words were demanding, his tone of voice struggled to be over a breathless whisper. His feathers we're still completely puffed out- the red of his cheeks giving the look of a blushing Hylian, almost.

Link gestured to the spot in the dirt behind him that he had found it.

Revali took a deep breath- letting it out slowly- before turning around. A stunned look in his eyes, he took a few short steps before once more- flying away.

"What an oddball." Link signed; he was also blushing, Mipha noticed.

"Alright, that's likely enough of that." Mipha said, patting the log next to her.

Link, ever the obedient one, came and sat down beside her.

"Why did he respond like that?" Mipha wondered aloud, furrowing her brow as she gazed into the fire. 

Link shrugged, and removed the feather from his hair. On a whim, he pocketed it. You can never know if something will come in handy.

***

"Gerudo wedding customs are quite simple," Urbosa explained. "They're similar to Hylian ceremonies, in reality; though the garb is quite different. The couple dresses in bright clothing, to represent their happiness going into their marriage. They don't usually exchange rings, typically just items of great worth. Public declarations of love are made, and the marriage is official."

No one quite knew how they got on this topic, Link least of all, but no one could miss the way Urbosa touched the crown that rested on her forehead. To his knowledge she hadn't been married, but that just showed how little he knew.  
Most of them are their dinner as they listened- but dinner seemed to be slowing down as the conversation took stranger turns.

"That is interesting." Mipha commented, fiddling with her skewer of fish. "Among the Zora, a suit of armor is made to protect the other in battle... A scale from the one creating the garment is used as a token of good luck. A priest officiates a short ceremony, and the giving of the armor."

Revali scoffed. "These are all so... Public. Isn't that strange?"

Everyone seemed to blink slowly at him.

"What?" He crossed his wings.

"How do Rito do it then?" Daruk asked.

"Ohh no." Revali clicked his tongue. "You first."

Daruk shrugged. "We decide we're married, tell a few people, then it's official. No muss, no fuss."

It was Revali's turn to blink slowly. "That's it?"

"Yup." Daruk nodded, sitting back in his spot around the fire. "We don't bother too much with all that ceremony- it's enough."

Nodding slowly in agreement, Revali took a deep breath. "Well, Rito have somewhat of a process... In between the two sides, I'd say."

He crossed and uncrossed his legs as he spoke- uncomfortable, Link thought. Maybe Rito didn't talk about this a lot.

"There is a lengthy 'courting' process before what you would call 'marriage.' After that... They undo each other's braids." His feathers ruffled. "And redo them, with a different colored ribbon and bead, and... They exchange feathers, and braid them into the hair as well."

Link found himself blushing, immediately recalling when he put Revali's feather in his own hair.

"And people notice that?" Urbosa asked, ever the patient one.

"Oh of course!" Revali answered as if it were obvious. "How your braids, or hair, are done is a huge part of Rito culture. The type of ornamentation, the style of braid- it's all quite efficient."

Link found himself blushing even harder at the thought, and couldn't make it go away. Not when they all said goodnight to each other, not as he stood watch, and certainly not when he crawled into his bedroll for the night. Something in him couldn't escape the thought of Revali's deft fingers braiding his hair.


	2. A Conclusion

Neither of them was sure how it happened. One moment, Revali and Link were sparring, as always. This time, they had decided to use spears; the lack of either of their signature weapons made for an interesting duel.

Revali's longer reach, of course, added another interesting element to this. They had been sparring for a while now, both panting and Link sweating profusely. He swore it should be against some law, the way Link's blonde hair stuck to his forehead like that, the way his pretty pink lips fell open as he gasped for air.

Making the decision to end this, Revali made a quick feign to the right, then snapped around to the left. Link saw that coming easily, and blocked accordingly. What he didn't see, however, was the way Revali swung the spear around, pulling towards himself in part to sweep Link's feet out from beneath him. It worked- with Link tumbling backwards; but not according to plan. Revali watched as Link's eyes widened, and as first reaction grabbed Revali's arm as he went down. In a flurry of movement, they were on the ground. A cloud of dust surged up from beneath Link when he hit the dirt, making it difficult to see.

Thankfully, neither of them had been impaled.

When the dust cleared, that's how they found themselves: Revali on top of Link, his arms on either side of his shoulders, propping him more upright. His legs were spread on either side of his hips.  
It would be a lie to say, then, that Revali didn't find Link extremely attractive... And infuriating. The way he looked with eyes wide in surprise, his mouth still open, the way he licked his lips just to dampen them- he could have pressed his forehead to his in that very moment. But he didn't, and he would say it was because of his enormous self control, but in truth: he froze.

Link was the one who flipped them over, propped himself up on his elbows and knees, and kissed him. 

Revali couldn't have moved even if he wasn't pinned. It was like his body had turned to lead, unable to do a thing. Finally, he broke free. Closing his own eyes, he lifted his wing to guide Link's head down, to touch their foreheads.   
Link's eyelids fluttered at that, but Revali didn't see it. He was only focused on Link above him.

Until they realized what they were doing.

Both snapped backward, Revali pushed Link off of him, and Link retreated with equal vigor.

"Get- what- why would you- I don't-" Revali sputtered, trying to regain his wits.

He was sure his feathers were so ruffled he looked like a week old hatchling, his eyes so wide they could have fallen out of his head with little trouble.  
Slowly, he got up to his feet. Taking a deep breath, smoothing down his feathers, Revali collected his wits.

"Let us agree, to never speak of this again." He said, and Link nodded twice.

***

Of course, that couldn't last. Revali couldn't stop looking at Link, and Link didn't seem to be able to look at him. That moment, however short it was, had changed everything between them. 

Revali was on guard duty now, sitting atop a boulder a couple of meters from the camp itself. Everyone else was sound asleep, curled up in their bedrolls... Or against a large oak tree, in Daruk's case. He had assured them all that he was quite warm enough, and began snoring almost instantly.  
But Revali wasn't looking at Daruk.

Link lay as he always did, next to Zelda, curled up on his side. The fire cast light on his delicate features, soaking them with a golden glow. His hair seemed impossibly bright, the fluttering of his lashes emphasized by the shadows.

"You should talk to him, you know."

Urbosa's voice started Revali, who nearly fell off his rock.

"Excuse me? Why would I- talk to who?" Revali sputtered, crossing his wings.

Urbosa raised an eyebrow. "You know what I'm talking about. Life is... Too short, to waste your time not caring for those you love."

The way she spoke brought to mind the way she had touched her crown the other day, when they discussed marriage customs. The look in her eyes was far away.  
But that only brought to mind Link, how Revali came back to camp to find him with a feather in his hair. He couldn't deny the flash of jealousy that hit him before he realized it was his own; then it was more than he could bear.

Link, pretty little Link lying by the fire, with his feather tucked into his blonde hair. It wasn't there now, but it was easy to imagine it.

"You should-"

"I can't." Revali interrupted, looking down. 

Despite their distance from the fire, his face felt hot. He could feel his feathers puffing out.

"Revali." She only said his name, but it hurt more than anything else she could have said.

Revali frowned, then hopped off his rock. "It is your turn to stand watch, correct?"

Urbosa nodded, took his place on the rock, and peered out into the night.

Revali went back to his bed, curled up, and failed to be able to sleep. The only thing running through his head was Link's face against his.

***

"Revali, I can't keep avoiding you." Link's hands moved about seventy miles an hour, blurting out what he could no longer keep quiet.

Now that they were alone, he had to say it. He could feel himself blushing, how red his face was- but he couldn't let that stop him.

Revali looked taken aback. "Why not? That's what we've always-"

"Don't pretend this is normal." Link interrupted, scowling. "We both know that isn't true."

His eyes narrowed. 

"I- I..." Link's hands faltered under his scrutiny.

"We can't do this, you know that." Revali said in a clear voice, as if rehearsed. "We don't have time, or energy, to maintain anything."

Link blinked. He had not been expecting that.

"So we should just... Go back to ignoring our feelings. Until this is all over, at least." He turned away.

The wind whistled in his ears.

"What if... What if there is no 'over?'" Link whispered, surprising himself.

Revali turned around in an instant, as soon as Link began to speak. His eyes were wide, feathers beginning to fluff at the cheeks.

"Why are you so- so!" Revali's whole body tensed, his eyes squeezed shut. "Infuriating! I say I can't afford to love you in case I lose you in the battle, and all you do is- you just-" He let out a noise Link could only describe as anguish. "You just keep... You continue to make me fall in love with you!"

His demeanor had quieted down near the end, as if he could no longer maintain the energy to be angry. The wind rustled his feathers, pulling at the scarf around his neck.  
In a moment, he was back to being... Well, Revali.

He scoffed, but it was fake. "So anyway, it wouldn't-"

Link cut him off by closing the space between them, pressing their foreheads together. Revali's shoulders lost their tension, practically melting into him.

Link couldn't hear anything but the wind, and the pounding of his heart.

"I can't lose you, and I barely even know you." Revali whispered, as if thinking aloud. "I know, it's pathetic. I should just-"

Link shushed him. "We could know each other better. There's still time for that."

Still trying to maintain his image, Revali laughed. "You say that like we're going to die- which, surely cannot be true. After all, we-"

Link pressed their foreheads together again, and even though Revali had been interrupted for the second time, he didn't complain.

"We could get to know each other better." He conceded, then fell silent.

***

It was the night before they would make the trek up Mt. Lanayru, to the Spring of Wisdom. Their camp near the base of the mountain was small, tucked in near a few rocks that provided a bit of shelter from the wind... And unwanted eyes. 

Everyone was asleep... Except Revali, and Urbosa. She had just gotten off her shift of keeping watch, and had 'woken up' Revali. He, of course, hadn't gotten any sleep to begin with.

Soon enough the sound of Urbosa's soft snore began, and Revali was left alone with his thoughts. All he wanted to do was go join Link, to curl around him like they had so many times before... In more private circumstances. As it was, all he could do was-  
Link's bedroll moved, likely rolling over. No, he was slowly removing his blankets, and began to dig in his seemingly endless bag. He removed a few items, held them in his hand, and crept over to the alcove where Revali was sitting.

"What are you doing?" Revali whispered, more like a hiss.

Link shrugged, then sat down.

"We don't have time." 

Link whispered, opening his hand and setting the contents on the dirt. Five beads, all of them sky blue, five ribbons of a golden yellow, and the feather Revali had seen Link put in his hair what felt like years ago. 

Instantly, he ruffled. "Link- you-" 

Revali would have thought Link were joking, but he couldn't. Not with that face looking at him, deeply shadowed by the dim light of the fire. He looked older, and almost desperate. Revali of all people knew how little he had been able to sleep recently.

"I don't really know how this is done, but..." He shifted from side to side. "I want to. If we make it through this, I want you by my side."

Revali's eyes were wide, he knew they were; slowly, he turned around. "Undo my braids- you should learn how to do them by doing that."

Link's small fingers began to undo one of his braids, and Revali shivered. Sure, he had expected to have a partner like this eventually, but... Having someone else touching his hair like this was so... Intimate. He felt his eyes fall shut, just enjoying the feeling. 

Then he heard the dagger unsheathe. Revali's head spin around on instinct, looking back at Link as he pulled out the short blade.

Grabbing a lock of hair and pulling it free from his ponytail, Link readjusted how he was holding the knife. Revali looked away as he cut the hair free.

"I don't have feathers," Link whispered. "But I'll use what I do have."

He went back to braiding, and Revali could feel something stir in his heart. This was almost scary, in a way. The commitment was immense- but... Thinking about Link? He could stand to be around him for eternity. Link didn't expect all the romance, and neither did he. He was, first and foremost, the best friend he had ever had.

Link moved one braid, completed, over Revali's shoulder. He reached up to touch it, just to feel the bead and know it was put there by Link's hands.

He finished quickly, gaining speed the longer he braided; but Revali knew the effort and intricacy that went into each one.

"Turn around." Revali whispered, and Link quickly did.

Taking out the band from Link's hair turned out to be a struggle, the tangles fighting against him at every turn. Revali clicked his tongue in annoyance, but began to work through Link's hair until it was all smooth and free.  
That's when he began his work, gathering it together and braiding in the ribbon, making sure that it was snug and secure, but also not painful. Carefully, he tied the end and secured the bead. Finally, as if Revali's heart couldn't beat any faster, he pushed the feather delicately through.

His. Link was his, and yet... It felt like he would have to let him go too soon.

"There." He said, throat dry; he doubted he could have said another word.

Link, smiling, turned around to face him again. He pressed their foreheads together in a quick kiss, then broke away. If he was nervous, he was trying not to show it.

"You'll need rest for tomorrow," he whispered.

Revali shook his head. "Not more than you will. Go back to bed- my watch won't be over for a while still."

"Then I'll sit with you."

And so he did, through that watch, and he joined Revali's bedroll after it. In what seemed like an instant, he was fast asleep.

"Sleep well, Link," Revali murmured, curling around him. "And may Hylia help us all."

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to check out my tumblr, Supertinywords! Comments are radical <3


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